The Masked Man's Tale
by MangaPirate
Summary: What happened after Sabo was shot by the World Noble. No major spoilers that I know of. This story is just a theory of mine, but enjoy. Please R&R, it helps more than you know.
1. Chapter 1

**Yup, just a story about one of my theories about One Piece. I may actually write them all down and post them but I'm writing another OP story here on FF that I should really be working on.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of its characters, because if I did, the art would be pretty shitty as opposed to the amazing work it is today.**

**-"~"-**

It hurt, everything hurt.

Sabo was sure the fire had burned away his body. He could feel the pain all the way down to his bones. The intense heat he'd felt had most likely burned away all his flesh. The sea had only made it worse. To think the very thing that had kept his boat afloat just a moment ago was now eating away at his body.

"I must be dead." He thought to himself. "Or maybe I'm on my way to Hell. Maybe I'm being punished for going against my damned noble blood." He felt the water crash over his head.

"I'm sorry Ace…Luffy…" He thought weakly.

He closed his eyes, and the world and his pain faded away.

**-"~"-**

A warm liquid passed through his lips, and a feeling of safety and warmth spread throughout his entire body.

Sabo opened his eyes weakly. He gulped down what he now recognized as soup greedily.

"Hey now, if you keep drinking it like that you'll throw it all back up." An unfamiliar voice warned him.

Sabo felt his eyes focus and found himself in a small room. From the sound of the waves he guessed he was on some sort of a ship.

"W-Where am I?" He asked and winced, his throat hurt when he spoke.

The man in front of him grinned, "It's going to be alright kid. You're a pretty lucky guy, I know plenty other marine captains that would've left any ship-wrecks to die. You should thank the captain for saving your life when he comes to see you."

Sabo felt his heart sink. Marine, that's what the man had said. He'd been saved by marines of all people. He sighed, what a fine way to start out his pirating career, owing a debt to a marine captain.

"Where are we now?" Sabo asked avoiding the marine's gaze.

"Oh now? Well we found you making your way into the Calm Belt from the East Blue, which was about a week ago, and now we're on our way to the South Blue." The marine said cheerfully.

Sabo tried his best to hide his horror, which he guessed he'd failed at because the marine looked at him in alarm.

"Are you feeling sick? Hang on. I'll get you some more water. You were pretty dehydrated when we found you."

Sabo watched the man chatter on to himself and left the room promising to return.

When the man had gone, Sabo flopped down onto his back, a pretty stupid idea since his burned back made even the softest sheets feel like lead. He gritted his teeth against the pain, but a rebel tear still managed to escape.

"But I'm alive," he said to himself, as if saying it out loud could make himself be heard to his "brothers" in the East Blue.

**-"~"-**

The next few days blurred together for Sabo. Each day he felt his strength growing and his broken body started its slow healing process.

He met, and thanked, the captain of the ship for saving him. The man had introduced himself as Captain T-Bone, who was a large scary looking man who reminded Sabo of the zombies Ace told in his stories to try and scare Luffy. Luffy had been scared of them at first but soon began to enjoy them so much he'd chase after Ace to tell him more about them.

The memories he had were all that was left of his time with Luffy and Ace. He remembered how he'd considered inviting him to come with him and sail the seas, but he'd decided against it, Luffy was too little, and if Luffy stayed behind, someone needed to look after him. It was a good thing he'd decided against it, who knows what would have happened to those two, had they been there when the boat was shot down.

He shut his eyes against the memory, but he was free now wasn't he? He'd lied to the marines and told them that his parents had died when their boat was smashed to pieces.

Guilt formed in the pit of his stomach when he thought of his brothers. He should send them a letter, something to tell them that he was alive, but it was too risky. What if his parents found out? What if they tried to bring him back to Goa? No, as much as it pained him to think about it, he couldn't contact them. He'd waited far too long for this freedom. Besides, unlike him, his brother's were free to leave anytime they wanted to. That is, if they could get away when their grandpa wasn't on one of his unexpected "friendly" visits.

As much as it pained him, they needed to stay in the dark, just like everyone else. All he could hope for was that they'd gotten the letter he sent before he'd set sail.

"I'm sorry my brothers."

**-"~"-**

"Sorry about this kid, but this is as far as we can take you. At least the South Blue's as good as any place to get a fresh start." The marine said apologetically. "We need to get back to headquarters, that is, unless you're willing to reconsider our offer of joining the marines as a chore boy."

Sabo forced himself from gagging. "No thank you, but I'm grateful for you taking me this far."

"No problem, take care of yourself." The marine said waving goodbye as he boarded the ship.

Sabo was a bit sad to watch them leave, but at the same time relieved. The sooner they were out of sight, the sooner he could start his life as a pirate.

He felt the coins the captain had given him jingled in his pockets as he walked. It wasn't much, but it'd last him a few days.

He continued down the beaten path until he caught sight of a town nearby. It looked small and homely, so he quickened his pace so he could get to it before sunset. He still needed to find a place to stay. He'd eaten on the ship and probably wouldn't need to worry about food for the night.

As he neared the town he felt something odd in the air. Back in Fuusha Village, there'd been a sunny and safe atmosphere, as if the whole town was one big family. Here, in this village, there was a bit of tension in the air, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He felt he should keep it on the safe side and not cause any trouble, at least not yet. Right now he probably looks awfully suspicious. A mysterious lone kid would definitely raise some questions.

Bright lights to his right caught his eye. He turned and looked down an alleyway and saw what looked like a tavern or a motel.

He felt himself smile, surely someone there would be able to give him a place to stay the night, or at least show him where he could.

The alleyway seemed dark and unnerving. Sabo noticed a pipe of some sort lying nearby, without another thought he picked it up and swung it over his shoulder. The weight felt familiar, like all the times he'd go out with Ace and Luffy.

He walked into the alleyway with confidence. He used to fight with Ace, sure Ace won most of the time, but he made him work for the victory. And he and Ace had beaten Porchemy hadn't they? He could take on any common thief easily.

"Hey kid, whatcha doing in a place like this?" A hoarse voice asked from behind him.

Sabo turned on his heel and saw a group of boys around his age slowly advancing into the alleyway.

"You sound like you have a bit of coin on you." sneered one of the taller boys.

Sabo knew he could run, no, he knew that he should run. But the stubborn part of his mind kept him rooted at the spot. Just the idea of knowing he could go when he wanted gave him the courage to stand his ground.

"Hey kid, you better give us your money if you want to leave this place alive." Another boy growled.

Sabo felt like making a snappy comment, but he didn't want to piss them off any more than they already were. Besides, to make such a comment might imply that he was intimidated by them, which he most certainly was not.

He wasn't going to back down, not now. If he was going to cower then he might as well go home and let his parents lock him up and turn him into the makings of a noble. And by then he might as well have been killed by these boys.

"Come on ugly, give us your money now." another boy leered.

"Stupid kid, what is he mute?" another laughed.

Sabo still stood his ground. He swung his pipe in front of him like he would've done with a sword and widened his stance, he wasn't going down without a fight, running away wasn't an option now.

"Oh look at that! The ugly kid thinks he can stand up to us!" The tallest boy laughed.

"Why do they keep calling me ugly?" Sabo wondered. "Out of all the insults they could have called me, why that?"

"Alright kid, I'll take your challenge." The tallest boy smirked.

The others laughed as the tallest boy drew out a knife.

Sabo stared him down unafraid.

The boy laughed and rushed at him, knife ready to slash his heart out.

Sabo dodged to the side jumped up and using all his strength swung the pipe into the boy's head.

Blood poured out of the boy's mouth and nose and he stumbled back in a daze. Sabo took advantage of this moment of weakness and hit him again. This time, the boy fell and didn't get back up.

Sabo turned away from the unconscious boy and glared at the group behind him, staring at him with shocked expressions.

"Who's next?" He asked panting.

The boys growled, but turned and ran away. One of the braver ones ran forward and grabbed his fallen friend and dragged him away.

"We won't forget this!" One of them called back in the distance.

Sabo let his body relax. They'd be back, but for tonight he was safe.

Something caught his eye, the boy's knife lay half hidden in the shadows.

Sabo picked it up and put it in his pocket. When the boys came back he'd need some extra protection.

**-"~"-**

Sabo lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He still had most of his money even after paying for a cheap room for the night. He wasn't planning on staying in the town any longer then he had to, those boys would be back with a vengeance.

He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. When he looked up he stared at his reflection in shock.

Now he knew why those punks had been taunting him about being ugly.

His face was covered in scars and burn marks, he could barely recognize himself. He touched his cheek and was acutely aware of the state of his skin.

The fire hadn't just taken his ship, it had taken his face. No wonder the marines had taken pity on him. Thankfully the scarring didn't affect his vision or any of his other senses. At least he had that to be thankful for.

Despite his first reaction, he found himself grinning. Now if someone recognized him, he wouldn't be dragged back to the East Blue. No one would know who he was.

He grinned until his cheeks hurt partially out of mad glee, but also to prove that he was still the same underneath.

**-"~"-**

Sabo ate his breakfast quickly. He still had the rest of the island to explore. If he was lucky, he'd be able to find work and start saving up again for a pirate ship, or maybe there'd be pirates looking to recruit new members…He could hope couldn't he?

Staying in this town was out of the question. Out of all the punks that had cornered him last night, none seemed to be "leader" material. If his instincts were right, they'd have gone to their boss by now and ratted him out, he wasn't about to wait for them to go hunting for him. He was getting out of here while he still could. He wasn't ready to die yet.

Sabo became aware that the room had gone eerily quiet. He turned and glanced over his shoulder.

A boy with flaming red hair stood in the doorway of the restaurant. His pale skin made his dark eyes shine brightly. He wore mildly tattered stained clothes. It took Sabo a moment to realize the stains were that of blood.

From what Sabo guessed, the boy was around the same age he was, maybe a year or two older. He found himself staring into the boy's dark eyes and saw the eyes of someone who'd killed.

"About time you turned around." The boy said lazily. "Everyone else got up and got the Hell out of here, it's either pretty gutsy or pretty stupid that you didn't do the same."

Sabo didn't need to look around the entire room to know it was empty. He sat there in silence, than he slowly turned around, finished the last of his meal and placed a few coins on the table.

The boy looked at him in confusion.

Sabo looked at him neutrally. "Let me guess, those stupid punks are yours?"

The boy quickly resumed his arrogant expression. "Yeah, they came whining to me about how some scarred-face bastard almost killed them."

"They're pretty weak. It took me almost no time to beat up the biggest one." The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could think better of them.

To his surprise the boy laughed. "'Weak' doesn't even begin to describe them! They came up to me and start telling me that I have to avenge them, that I shouldn't stand for this humiliation!" He snorted. "Pathetic,"

"Then why put up with them?" Sabo asked. He was stalling for time now. He needed to keep this kid ranting until he could come up with a plan. His pipe was under his chair but he couldn't grab it without the boy noticing, of course he had the knife from last night hidden in his jacket but who knew what this other kid had hidden in his. Besides, there was too much room between them and he wasn't sure how fast he could move to get close enough for the knife to connect.

The boy raised an eyebrow and grinned in a blood-thirsty manner. "Who says I do put up with them?" He asked darkly. "I rule this town and everyone knows it. There will always be people wanting some power, and if I like what I see I might just give them a bit." He laughed again in a way that sent shivers down Sabo's spine though he did his best to hide it. "I've no time for weaklings. I'm aiming all the way to the top."

Sabo reached into his jacket and threw the knife at the laughing kid and dove for his pipe. What he saw next shocked him.

The knife was hovering a few inches away from the kid's face. The knife then dropped from its invisible force and fell to the ground at the kid's feet. The kid picked it up and looked at Sabo with an amused expression. "Did you really think it would be that easy?" He mocked.

Sabo felt a cold sweat roll down his temple. Shit, this wasn't good. "What are you?" He asked, but he already knew the answer.

The boy cocked his head and widened his grin. "Just a kid who ate a devil fruit, you'll find out soon enough which one it is. Not that it'll make any difference."

It took every ounce of courage for Sabo to stand his ground. This guy wasn't like Luffy, while Luffy was still learning how to use his powers. This kid had obviously mastered his, or was close to it. He raised his pipe hesitantly, if he'd need to fight he would, he had to.

The boy smirked and raised his hand. Bright colored sparks seemed to be coming from his hand and Sabo felt something pulling at the pipe in his hand. He tried to hold onto it but the force was stronger and the pipe went flying out of his hands and flew towards the boy.

"We can't let you have that now, can we?" The boy asked mockingly.

Sabo watched this pipe and felt something twist in his stomach. It was pure rage. How dare this boy make a fool out of him? How dare he taunt him! How dare he make him seem so weak and feeble!

Sabo felt all this rage and frustration boil up inside him. He hated losing his temper, he'd always been the more level headed of his brothers but even he could be pushed over the edge, and right now he was falling over it at rapid speeds. He ran towards the boy, no battle cries escaped his mouth but there was no need. The battle could be seen in his eyes. In those eye reflected a flicker of fear and surprise pass over the other boy's face before Sabo's fist connected with his face. Again and again Sabo let loose a fury of punches, not caring whether they hit or not, just as long as his rage kept him going.

A sharp pain in his side made him gasp for air. His punches stopped and he kneeled on the ground and put his hand over his stomach as if to stop the blood from gushing out from where he'd been stabbed.

He expected to hear the boy laughing at him but to his surprise the boy was panting as well. The boy was wiping the blood from his lip and from his nose. He was looking down on Sabo murderously.

The boy drew a pistol out of his pocket and pointed it between Sabo's eyes. He was at point blank range and there was no way Sabo had a hope of dodging.

"You punk, did you really think you could kill me?" the boy's voice came out ragged between breaths. "It's going to take more than punches to bring me down."

Sabo wasn't looking at the boy anymore. He was too busy staring down the barrel of the gun in horror. He'd been so close to reaching his dream.

"I'm going to be king of the pirates!" The boy shouted forcefully, his voice echoing around the empty room.

Sabo stared at the boy in shock. Hadn't Luffy always yelled that time after time? But there was something different the way Luffy and the boy said it. While Luffy acted as if he was stating the facts like the sky was blue or meat was good and could be mistaken as joking for a moment, this boy gave a different impression when he said it. He said it as if this was what he had decided and he didn't care about whom he had to step on and crush beneath him, he would reach his goal. The boy's eyes had burned like the fiery pits of Hell when he'd said it.

Sabo expected the boy to pull the trigger, but it seemed like the boy was waiting for an answer.

"I believe you," Sabo said calmly and was surprised to find he meant it.

The boy stared at him for what seemed like a year, then pointed the gun to the side and swung it hard against Sabo's head.

Lights danced in front of his eyes then he fell into oblivion.

**-"~"-**

The next time Sabo woke up he was in a shoddy looking house. The roof had holes in it, the paint was peeling off the walls and the windows were cracked and dirty. His stomach was bandaged clumsily, as if it had been rushed and the person had had little experience in first aid, but at least the blood wasn't gushing out anymore.

Sabo sat up and winced at the dull pain. Where was he?

He pulled off the moth eaten blankets and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The floor was dusty and covered in grit. Sabo wondered what the state of the rest of the house looked like.

He leaned against the wall as a support and partially dragged himself to the door and opened it. The next room was somewhat of a mixture between a kitchen and a sitting area and just as shitty as the previous room had been. To Sabo's faint surprise, he saw the boy sitting on a beaten up sofa quietly cleaning a dagger.

"Hey," Sabo said awkwardly, having nothing better to say.

The boy put aside the dagger and looked over at him looking mildly annoyed. "Good to see you're finally awake, I had half a mind to wake you up myself." He growled.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Sabo asked coldly. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful, he was just suspicious.

The boy sighed and looked him in the eye. "Because of what you said,"

"What?" Sabo asked in confusion.

"You said you believed me when I told you I'd be King of the Pirates."

"Yeah so?"

The boy glared at him. "Most of the time when I tell people that they laugh, or tell me I'm just wasting my time. I hate people like that, so I kill 'em. They'd just laugh because they're scared of the world and are too stupid to try and change this miserable world. The world is messed up enough, it doesn't need those bastards."

"So why am I here?" Sabo asked cautiously.

The boy grinned. "If I'm going to be King of the Pirates, I need a strong crew. You beat up those weaklings the other night without even getting hit, and even more impressive, you landed a few hits on me. That takes guts. If I'm gonna give this world Hell, I need strong people to back me up. So what do you say? You wanna work under me?"

"What makes you think I wanna be a pirate?" Sabo said coldly.

The boy laughed. "You think I don't know? I can see it in your eyes. You've got a pirate soul burning in 'em. You don't seem like the type to lower themselves to being a navy dog or go on living an ignorant normal life."

Sabo gritted his teeth. Were his ambitions really that obvious?

"I don't have time to deal with uncertain people. Either join me or get the Hell out of my house. It's your choice."

Sabo looked the boy over. He was definitely going to grow up to be just the kind of ruthless pirate that would make his dream come true, even if his dream was close to being impossible. He had a way of looking at the world that poor optimistic Luffy would never be able to.

"Fine," Sabo said calmly, "I'll join your crew, but on one condition."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

Sabo took a deep breath, "If I join you, I don't want to be some expandable lackey. I know a little bit about navigation, so for me, it's either navigator or first mate. I'm not going to settle for anything less."

The boy looked at him in surprise than started laughing. "Alright fair enough, but just remember this. If you join my crew, you're in it for life. No second thoughts, no trying to abandon us, nothing. If I catch you doing any of that," He grinned cockily, "I'll kill you in an instant. So we've got a deal?" He got up off the couch, walked over to Sabo and put out his hand.

Sabo knew that if he agreed, he may have just signed away life, but at the moment it didn't seem like he had anything to lose. His brothers thought he was dead, he was pretty much disowned by his parents, not that he ever gave a damn about them, and he was far away from his home. He took the boy's hand and shook it. "Deal,"

The boy's grin widened. "Smart choice, the name's Kidd, Eustass Kidd. And yours?"

Sabo shrugged. "I guess I don't really have a name anymore."

Kidd raised an eyebrow. "So what am I supposed to call you, now that we're nakama?"

Sabo thought for a moment. "Beats me, you choose if you want to, I don't really care."

Kidd snorted.

"Why's your name 'Kidd'?"

"To Hell if I know, I guess my parents didn't feel like coming up with anything that took imagination."

Sabo rolled his eyes. "Well just try and put a little bit of originality into mine. The last thing I need is a bounty poster with a stupid name."

**-"~"-**

"Hey, I think I just came up with a name for you." Kidd said wiping the blood that'd been splattered against his cheek.

"Oh yeah?" Sabo asked cleaning off his pipe. "Let me hear it."

Kidd stared down at the fresh corpses in front of them. "How does the name 'Killer' sound to you?"

Sabo snorted. "Very original," he smirked swinging his pipe over his shoulder, "Sounds good to me."


	2. Epilogue

**Well gang, by popular demand, I've written this epilogue. I won't waste too much time here so I'll be brief.**

**I'd like to give a huge thanks to the people who have reviewed up to this point. **

**I'd like to give a hug glomp hug to: SniperKingSogeking0341, Fenrir the vicious, Mikila94, Miyu Hinamori, Razamataz22, Meiya Soku, KimiUzumaki and Amekoryuu.**

**-"~"- **

The fire burned her eyes and her legs ached from running but she couldn't stop. Right now, she was running for her life.

The path around her was burning like the rest of the town. Tears ran down her cheeks and her breath came out labored and wheezing, but still she ran.

She passed the Marine fortress, destroyed and crumbling, the bodies of the soldiers no doubt under the rubble. She felt a chill run up her spine. They were supposed to be safe. The Marine Fortress had been there for years, protecting them from any pirates that tried to take over their little island. They were supposed to be one of the lucky islands in the Grand Line. Knowing they could go to bed easily without worry of a sudden attack.

That was before tonight though. The pirates had come faster than they'd thought was possible. They'd slaughtered anyone who crossed their path. Burned the buildings and laid waste to the Marines. Not even the civilians had been spared. Their last shrill cries still echoed behind her, a few, she shivered, were suddenly cut off.

She had to get out of there. If she could hide somewhere until sunrise, the pirates might have left by then.

She just needed to survive.

Fire grabbed at her clothes as if trying to pull her to her doom. Her arms and legs were still cut from the glass shards of the window she'd smashed, when she'd made a desperate jump to freedom from her burning house.

She found herself praying her friends and family were safe, but it was too risky to go back. Not that she would be of any help either way.

She saw the edge of the village up ahead, the forest a short distance away. As a child, she'd often play hide-and-seek in those woods. If she could make it in there, she could disappear until the pirates left.

Her heart filled with sudden desperate hope and she put her last bit of energy into a dash.

A blur moved out of the corner of her eye and she felt something go through her.

A bloodstained blade prodded out of her, _her blood_ glistening in the fire light. With her last bit of life, she turned to see her murderer. All she saw was a deathly pale face, and hair like the flames destroying her world.

"You should have run faster." Her killer said as her body slumped to the ground.

**-"~"-**

The sunrise danced across the sea's waters, dyeing the sky the same color as the town below it.

All was silent, except for the waves crashing against the pirate ship, as it sailed away, undamaged.

**-"~"-**

Killer cleaned his blades carefully, making sure to get all the blood washed off. When he'd first gotten his blades, he'd been careless and missed a little. He'd walked around a town with them and hadn't noticed until later. He'd wondered why people had given him more fearful looks than usual.

Kidd had thought it was hilarious.

Killer took off his helmet. As he suspected, there was a few bloodstains on it, courtesy of some Marine soldiers that wouldn't die easily.

He began scrubbing off the blood. At least they were getting closer to the New World. All that stood in their way was the Red Line. Maybe they'd even find someone that could last against Kidd, a fight actually worth watching.

In an instant he remembered his own childhood fights with Ace. How close their skills were at the time, but that had been a long time ago. That was back when "Sabo" was still alive.

Killer walked to the small mirror he kept in his room, the memory still fresh in his mind.

His burns had long since healed, but the scarring and aging had changed his face forever. The only thing he had left of "Sabo" was his chipped tooth and his blond hair. If he were to squint, he might see the ghost of his childhood's face, but he would never do that. What would that prove?

Working for Kidd had changed him. He no longer hesitated to take another life, or burn a town to the ground or torture a person for information.

The sea was a harsh place, weaklings didn't deserve to live. Only the strong had the right to survive.

"Sabo" would surely have been repulsed by this life.

But he wasn't Sabo anymore. He was Killer.

**-"~"-**

"Hey Killer? Do you see that?" Kidd asked with greedy eyes.

"Yes." Killer said emotionlessly.

Kidd stared up at the Red Line. "I'm halfway to taking over this damn world, and crushing everyone beneath me."

Killer simply nodded. "Of course,"

Kidd smirked and turned to face the crew. "To Shabondy!" He screamed.

The crew answered with their blood thirsty cries.

Killer turned back to the Red Line. "And to the New World," He said quietly to himself.

**-"~"-**

Killer leaned casually against the wall of the bar, watching Kidd drain another glass of something strong.

They'd been on Shabondy for a few days. Surprisingly, the mangrove island had stayed intact during their stay. The threat of the World Nobles and the admirals that would come were there any trouble was enough for any sensible pirate crew to keep a low profile until their ship was properly coated. Even Kidd had restrained himself.

Killer pushed himself off the wall and headed to the door.

"Going for a walk, Killer?" Kidd asked without taking his eyes off his glass.

"Yes." Killer said calmly.

Killer waited for a moment, and having heard no reply for Kidd, made his way out of the bar.

It might not be the wisest decision to leave Kidd. The Captain was itching to start a fight after a few days of doing nothing. At this point, it wouldn't take much for him to go berserk over a small thing.

Although, Killer mused, if that were to happen he wasn't even sure he would be able to stop his hot-blooded captain. When Kidd got into one of his moods nothing short of a battleship would be able to even dent through his bloodlust blinded fury.

But there was something in the air that made Killer anxious. Although he had developed a strong resistance to alcohol over the years of drinking with Kidd, today he wasn't in the mood to drown his feelings in hard liquor. What he needed was a little exercise.

He wandered through the streets aimlessly. Through his mask, he saw several people give him nervous or outright looks of fear and back away. Which suited him just fine, the Kidd pirate's weren't exactly known for their friendly social skills.

However, there were always those who just never seemed to take a hint.

"I know you." A voice said nearby.

Killer turned feeling slightly irritated. A large winged man in monk style clothes stood nearby, a wide intimidating grin plastered all over his face. He had short black hair and a beard, a scar near his left eye and a large red bead necklace around his neck. Killer took an almost immediate dislike for the man, whatever he wanted, it wouldn't end well. Before even setting foot in Shabondy, Killer had known about the 'Eleven Supernovas', high bounty rookies who would all be on one island at the same time.

Knowing this, Killer had spent a same time analyzing the bounty poster pictures of these rivals. He couldn't stay ignorant of any potential threats to Kidd.

'Mad Monk' Urouge leered down at him. "Who would have thought I'd run into a big name like you today? So 'Massacre Man', where's your Captain?" he asked.

Killer turned away, even as a first mate his own bounty was considerably larger than that of the Sky Island pirate captain. It would be a waste of his time talking to him.

"Now isn't this interesting, a Kidd pirate walking away? I thought they were all hot-blooded monsters looking for a fight."

Killer stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh, you're a nasty little crew. Going after civilians like that, and that's only what the papers have released! Who knows how much damage you've done? And now here we are,"

Killer wished the pirate captain would just shut up. The monk sounded like he wanted a fight, and he was going to get one if he kept talking about the Kidd pirates.

"A Kidd pirate taking the high road and walking away from a fight, or maybe," the monk said lowering his voice, "he's actually just running away."

Killer's almost endless patience snapped and without thinking he charged at the monk with his inhuman speed. Urouge looked surprised for a moment but somehow managed to take out the large pillar at his shoulder and blocked Killer's whirling scythes.

A scream broke out nearby and the street went into a frantic panic as people scrambled to get away from the fight.

"So much for keeping a low profile," Killer thought grimly as he leapt back with acrobatic grace, dodging a powerful swing from Urouge.

Through the panic, Killer noticed a group of people hadn't moved in the midst of all the panic. A man with a furry spotted hat and a yellow and black hoodie sat on a box, surrounded by a group of men in identical white boiler-suit style clothes, with the exception of one who wore an orange colored suit who seemed to be some sort of a walking bear.

Killer turned his full attention to the fight. He was determined to make the monk pay for his insults to the Kidd pirates. He would have time to wonder about the strange group watching the fight afterwards.

The monk swung the pillar downward, but Killer instantly dodged it, taking a few leaps back in order to create more distance between them. The heavy pillar was made for power, not speed, something Killer was using to his advantage. He charged forwards again jumping upward as the monk attempted to hit him again, as if he were swinging a baseball bat. Killer aimed for the monk's head, manipulating the speed of the fall to add to his attack. The monk smiled and raised the pillar, ready for a counter attack.

Something moved out of the corner of his vision and leapt forward between the two fighters. The man blocked Killer's scythes with a saber, and Urouge's pillar with a four-bladed axe. "If you want to cause a stir, then do it in the New World!" the man shouted.

The two fighters stood their ground as the newcomer crossed his weapons over his chest. The man had reddish brown hair and an X shaped scar on his chin. He wore a white-feathered cocked hat, with a mask outlining his eyes. He had an open blue jacket and elbow high gloves, blue pants and knee high boots. A large X was displayed on his bare chest.

"I see," Urouge said swinging the pillar over his shoulder. "The former officer, Drake, huh?" The monk laughed and turned to Killer. "Your life was just spared, masked man."

Killer restrained himself from snorting out loud. Had the fight gone on any longer he would have ended the monk's life, as painfully as possible.

Killer watched the pirate 'Red Flag' X Drake walk away. Still furious at his fight's sudden end, Killer continued on his walk in the opposite direction, having no desire to be near either of the men who had irritated him.

Killer continued on his walk, ignoring the hushed whispers that seemed to follow him wherever he went.

"-dangerous crew-"

"-supernovas-"

"-not safe-"

Weaklings, every single one of them, Killer clenched his fists. The whole island stank of fear, for the World Nobles, the pirates and the Slave hunters.

"This really is a place full of scum." Killer thought to himself as he passed by a group of high class men bragging loudly about the slave girls they'd bought.

Killer remembered the High Town he'd lived in as a child. If Shabondy was anything like the kingdom of Goa, they were already lost souls. The ideas shoved down the children's throats rotted them to the core, the adults were beyond hope.

Killer hated this island. There were so many things here that reminded him of his old life. He wanted to go on a rampage, destroy everything in sight. He shook his head. He was starting to think like Kidd.

"-Strawhat pirates-"

Killer stopped to listen.

"I heard someone's seen them at an amusement park." A middle aged woman said.

"I hope they don't get their filth all over it. My son loves going there!" Another scoffed.

"Have you heard all the things their captain has done since he started his crew? I hope the marines catch them quickly!"

Killer continued on his way, unwilling to listen any longer. Luffy? Here in Shabondy already? He'd known Luffy and his first mate were supernovas but he never imagined they'd get to Shabondy so soon.

He hadn't spoken to either of his "brothers" since he'd left Goa. He'd made no effort to contact them at all, and he wanted to keep it that way. They all had different lives now, they'd chosen their paths and there was no going back.

**-"~"-**

The Kidd pirates made their way through the lawless groves with ease. Killing any bounty hunters stupid or desperate enough to try and attack them.

Killer walked beside Kidd, keeping his usual silent presence. While he was on his walk, Kidd had apparently learnt about a special monthly Human Auction held in grove 1.

Why Kidd wanted to go was beyond Killer. But over the years of working under Kidd, he'd learnt to save himself the mental pain of wondering why his captain did what he did.

The Human Auction House looked normal enough on the outside, with its moss covered roof and stone pillars. On the inside it was a grand stage and rows of seats for those rich enough to afford the "luxury" of owning another life. The air crawled with greed and torment.

They were looked at with disapproval but no one stopped them from walking in and leaning against the wall at the back.

Kidd looked down at the nobles anxiously taking their places with an unreadable stare. Killer wondered once again what his captain's motives were for coming here.

Shortly before the auction began, they saw an older man and a woman walk through the door. They wore white suits and bubbles over their heads.

"World Nobles…Slaves…The Human Shop…" Kidd snorted. "Compared to the 'righteous' greed of the rulers, the villains of the world seem much more honorable. When scum rules the world, only more scum is born…You don't even understand that? At least we're honest about being bad people, right Killer?"

"You're right." Killer replied, looking at the World Nobles with distaste. To think his father wanted him to grow up to become one of them? He would rather be eaten alive by Sea Kings than suffer such an existence.

"How about we buy anyone who seems interesting?" Kidd laughed.

The zombie crewmate leaned down to Kidd. "Chief Kidd, look at that."

Both Kidd and the crew turned their attention to the group that had been pointed out.

Killer narrowed his eyes. It was the same group who had watched his fight against Urouge. The one that had been talking to X Drake when he'd left.

"I know that face…" Kidd said measuring up his potential rival. "It's the 200-million man from the North Blue, Trafalgar Law. I heard some bad rumors about him."

At that moment, the Heart captain turned lazily and stared arrogantly at the Kidd captain. Slowly, he extended his middle finger and smirked.

Kidd gave his signature bloodthirsty grin. "His manners are bad, too."

Killer felt his anger flare up but pushed it down. Now was not the time to get worked up over something so trivial. He assured himself he was just a little on the edge after hearing Luffy was at the island. Besides, as long as Kidd didn't decide to rid himself of a potential rival any time soon. There was a definite possibility that he wouldn't even see his "brother" at all. After all, their ship had almost finished getting coated and they'd be ready to leave soon for the New World.

The noise settled down slightly as the Human Auction began.

Shortly after the auction began, another group of latecomer came.

Killer watched in shock as the newcomers stared out at the crowd. He'd know them anywhere from their bounty posters and their most recent media attention.

The Strawhat pirates.

No, not all of them were there, only four of them plus another man. Luffy was nowhere in sight. Killer let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. One of his crewmates looked at him strangely but wisely didn't comment.

"Chief, I think that's the Strawhat crew." The zombie crewmate said calmly.

Kidd looked at them with interest. "The Strawhats's captain isn't there… I was hoping to see just how dumb he was myself…"

Killer observed the Strawhats. For some reason they seemed to be getting worked up about something. He turned his attention away from them and pretended to be paying attention to the auction.

Maybe things would get interesting after all…

**-"~"-**

At about the midpoint of the auction, another World Noble walked through the doors, a younger man riding a beaten up man.

Killer watched silently as the World Noble proceeded to kick the man with his pointed expensive boots.

Killer clenched his teeth. He imagined one of his scythes sliding across the Noble's neck. How the blood would pour out on the polished floor. He didn't usually make a show out of a killing. That was usually Kidd's job. But, he watched the Noble walk arrogantly to his seat, he considered making an exception. He could almost smell the blood.

"Easy Killer," Kidd said under his voice, "you'll get your chance someday."

Killer watched as the rest of the auction house avoided the Noble's gaze. Women huddled near their husbands and looked away. He also noted that it seemed only the pirates dared to look at the Noble.

He stared down at the people below him. "Weaklings," he thought.

A cheer erupted from the crowd as the auction continued and the fear of the World Nobles was temporarily forgotten.

Lights danced across the stage, the entire auction house seemed to be on the edge of their seats. The host seemed to be saying something but Killer wasn't paying too much attention. He was too busy keeping a watchful eye on the Strawhats.

The excitement in the air grew and it was getting harder and harder to ignore. Killer turned just as a light came up behind something covered in a sheet that the staff at the auction house had rolled out onto the stage. Although they were as far away from the stage as possible, the silhouette that was shown was obvious.

"A mermaid?" Killer thought as he heard gasps coming from all over the room.

The sheet was dramatically thrown away and the auction house stared in amazement at the mermaid.

The young mermaid looked out at the audience, looking like a trapped animal searching for any means of escape.

Killer barely heard the Noble yell out his ridiculously high bidding price, or the shock that followed. All he saw were the eyes of that mermaid. Eyes so filled with terror. He'd seen similar looks like that, mostly from the people he and his crew had killed. But there was no murder this time, no burning villages, no marines coming to fight them, all there was, was a young girl being sent to a life worse than death.

Killer expected to feel something inside him, repulse, anger, hate, normal human reactions. But he felt empty. Not even pity burned slightly in his eyes. He wondered what that said about him.

"It's like a symbol of how messed up the world is." Kidd snorted. "I've seen enough of this farce. We're leaving."

The crew stood up and followed Kidd. Killer tore his gaze away from the mermaid and followed them to the door.

Kidd stopped and the rest of the crew followed his lead as they heard a distant scream getting closer and closer.

"What?" Kidd began.

Something smashed through the wall, narrowly missing them.

Killer watched in utter shock as Luffy emerged from the rubble.

"Irony's such a bitch." Killer thought as he watched his 'little brother' yell at a man who, Killer guessed, had been the one driving the flying fish.

"Hey, that's Strawhat Luffy!" Kidd said turning his full attention on the Strawhat captain.

Killer saw a glint in his captain's eyes, a look that he normally got whenever he was about to go wild.

Killer had to stop himself from groaning. This wasn't going to end well.

He closed his eyes, vainly hoping that when he opened them the situation would look a little better. He heard heavy footsteps, followed by sudden screams. At the sound of a gunshot, his eyes snapped open.

The man he'd seen with the Strawhats lay on the stairs, blood dripping down the stone stairs. Somehow the man still had the strength to speak to Luffy through a mouthful of blood. It was when Killer took a closer look that he realized the man had six arms.

A fishman.

Killer pieced everything together in his mind. He remembered something he'd seen out of the corner of his eye when he had been watching the mermaid, the look of mixed expressions of shock, horror and fury on the Strawhats' faces. He looked back at the mermaid who seemed to be screaming and pounding her fists against her prison. He felt the pieces snap together in his mind.

He watched Luffy's face cloud with anger. If he really understood what was going on, things were going to go straight to Hell.

Luffy rose slowly and fixed his glare on one man in particular. The young World Noble who seemed to be dancing with joy with a smoking gun in his hand.

Luffy slowly began to walk up the stairs.

Killer knew in an instant what Luffy was planning. The idea seemed to spread as the whole auction house watched Luffy in fear.

"Is he serious?" Kidd said.

Killer felt a pounding in his head as Luffy came closer.

"Luffy no," Killer thought frantically, "Luffy don't do it!"

The World Noble shot his gun a few times, which Luffy easily dodged.

He wanted to yell, scream at his brother not to do it, but years of silence held his tongue.

"Luffy!" His mind screamed as he watched his brother punch the World Noble right in his smug, arrogant face.

Then, there was silence.

No one spoke, no one moved. Luffy casually reached over his back and pulled his old straw hat onto his head, a hat, Killer remembered, that had once been too big for him.

Killer saw Kidd smirk out of the corner of his eye. Things were definitely going to get more interesting.

Chaos exploded and people ran for the exits in panic. Only the pirates stood their ground and made no move to leave.

Guards flooded the room and the Strawhats leapt into battle.

Killer glanced at his captain. Kidd was staring intently on Luffy. There was something strange in Kidd's eyes, something that took Killer a moment to identify and was almost shocked at what he saw. Pirate 'Captain' Kidd was looking down at Luffy with respect.

"Just like the rumors said." Killer said softly.

"Yeah," Kidd said without looking away from the fight, "He's one crazy guy."

More of Luffy's crew appeared, jumping into the fry as soon as their feet touched the ground.

At one point Luffy and 'Demon Child' Nico Robin spoke with Trafalgar Law. Slowly, Luffy looked up and fixed his gaze on Kidd.

Killer glanced from Kidd to Luffy and hoped they wouldn't start a fight with each other. The last thing they needed was for the captain to get into a serious fight while an admiral was on his way.

A commotion seemed to have broken out on the stage and Luffy broke his gaze with Kidd.

Killer looked wearily at the stage. "What now?" He wondered.

One of the World Nobles had a gun pointed right at the mermaid. It seemed to have occurred to her that the mermaid was the main cause for all the chaos and had made it her own personal mission to eliminate her.

Killer sighed. "What an idiot." He thought to himself.

Then, the strangest thing happened. One moment the Noble was standing over the mermaid about to pull the trigger, and the next moment she was falling off the ladder and landed unconscious on the ground.

The fighting stopped as everyone stared in shock at the stage. A blast came from the stage, blowing a hole in the back.

Casually and unnervingly calm, an older man walked out of the hole, followed by a giant.

"Have a look at that, Giant." The old man said his voice echoing through the room. "The hall is a complete mess. Seems like the auction is over. Seeing how I've stolen some money, I guess I'll be returning to the gambling hall."

"What a foul old man you are…" the giant said with a sigh. "You came here just so you could steal money?"

"I wanted to steal from whoever bought me as well… Well that's impossible now…" the old man reached for a small bottle from one of his pockets. "Oh, right, it was empty." He said with a trace of sadness. "First, I've got to get some more sake. Although, come to think about it…I'm pretty old, so who would want a slave like me?" The old man laughed.

Killer felt a chill run up his spine. If that was who he thought it was…

"What? It seems like I've drawn some unwanted attention…" the old man said with a smile.

Killer had to stop his jaw from dropping. He was staring at a legend, a man who had been on the Grand Line before the Pirate Age had even started. He knew as clearly as he knew how to kill that the old man was going to do something.

Killer felt a wave of something blast through him. All around him the guards fell to the ground.

"This guy…" Kidd began.

"No way." Law muttered.

'Dark King' Rayleigh looked straight at Luffy. "That straw hat of yours…It really fits a fearless man like yourself. I've wanted to meet you…Monkey D. Luffy."

The next few moments seemed to blur together. Somehow Rayleigh had managed to take off the collar off the mermaid without destroying her and was casually strolling up the stairs.

"Sorry, you guys." Rayleigh said looking from the Heart pirates to the Kidd pirates. "You were just here to watch, right? Judging from how you handled that situation earlier, you aren't exactly pushovers, right?"

"Who'd have thought we'd run into such a big shot here?" Kidd said leering. "That's the 'Dark King', Silvers Rayleigh, no doubt about it. What's that legendary man doing here?"

"I prefer to be called the old coater, Ray-san, around here." Rayleigh responded. "Please don't call me by that name. I'm an old man now. I'd like to live peacefully."

Killer had the urge to laugh as he watched the old pirate lean down and talk to the fishman. The man had killed thousands during his pirate days. And now here he was, wanting a life of peace. Killer glanced at Kidd and tried to imagine him living a peaceful life, but all he saw was his captain standing next to him, his eyes watching the old pirate closely.

"Seems like they've got us completely surrounded outside, Chief." The zombie crewman said to Kidd.

"Criminals inside! Please release the Rosward family! An admiral will be here shortly! I'd imagine that it would be safer for you to just surrender. You don't know what will happen otherwise, rookies!" A megaphone voice yelled from outside.

Killer stopped to consider what had just been said. Pirates taking the safe way out? Supernova level pirates surrendering? Did the marines really know who they were dealing with? Did they think they could win that easily? Killer smiled under his mask, he could almost hear his blades begging for blood.

"So they're not just dragging us into this, but they're treating us as if we were his accomplices, too…" Law said amused.

"I see that Straw Hat Luffy is every bit as crazy as the rumors said. Not to complain, but I'm not going to stick around to clash with an admiral." Kidd said grinning.

"If he'd wanted that he would have already done so." Killer thought silently.

"Yes, I can't use that power from before anymore, so I'm counting on you. It would be really troublesome if the navy found out who I am." Rayleigh said.

Kidd snorted. "I have no intention of getting saved by an old man. But the longer we stay, the more soldiers will come. I'll be going on ahead." He turned and began heading out the door. He waved. "As an extra favor, I'll save you guys. I'll take care of the cleaning outside, so just relax."

The two other captains' expressions darkened.

Killer watched as both of them got up from their seats and followed Kidd out of the room.

Everyone in the room could hear the captains argue with each other on their way out.

"Man, those guys are so simple-minded!" One of the Strawhats scoffed.

Killer rolled his eyes. Simple-minded was putting it lightly.

"Killer," the zombie crewmen said quietly. "Is there something wrong? You seem a little tense."

Killer shook his head. "This isn't going to end well."

The crewmate with the pitchfork snorted. "What'd you expect? _He's _our captain after all."

A few of the Strawhats were making their way to the door when Killer felt something change in the air.

"Oh shit, here we go again." Killer thought as he felt the familiar pull of Kidd's devil fruit power. He stood his ground and tensed his muscles as he began his usual fight to keep himself from being dragged off into one of Kidd's attacks.

Once, when Kidd was starting to get more familiar with his strange devil fruit powers, Killer had been working on an earlier version of his scythes. He's just gotten the damn things on and he felt like his arms were being ripped out of their sockets and he soon found himself flying through the air.

Over the years, he'd trained himself to stand his ground whenever he felt the pull. Under no circumstances was he ever going to be dragged off into the air again. Not while he had the strength to stop it!

He glanced over to see one of the Strawhats, a green haired swordsman, hold on tightly to his blades.

The weapons from the guards were lifted into the air and went soaring out the door. A few of the Strawhats shouted in surprise.

"It seems Kidd is having fun." Killer mused.

They heard a screams and loud crashes coming from the battle outside.

The pirate crews ran out of the auction hall just in time to be greeted by a large dust cloud.

The three crews sighed as they looked out at the destruction their captains had caused in just a few minutes.

"Hey! It's already this bad?" The Strawhat swordsman groaned.

"Amazing!" Another Strawhat said in awe. "My eyes must be deceiving me!"

"Oh man…" A Heart pirate sighed. "You're over doing it, Captain…"

Rayleigh laughed. "Why, these guys aren't half bad."

"They sure are impatient…" Killer said wondering if the other crews had similar problems dealing with their own Captains as the Kidd pirate did with theirs.

The three captains stood in the middle of the destruction looking out proudly at the chaos they'd created.

Killer blinked a few times and stared at Luffy who seemed to have shrunk a few feet. He sighed, things certainly had changed.

"Hey, what happened to you, Straw Hat?" Law asked the small Luffy. "You're ruining the mood."

"Really?" Asked the little Luffy. Killer cringed for a moment. Luffy's voice was higher pitched to match his sudden change in size.

"Well, I guess we've pretty much ruined their formation now." Kidd said grinning.

The marines stared at the pirates in shock. Then, the leader yelled out some commands and the marines quickly began closing in on the pirates.

"Here they come." Kidd said looking eagerly at the fresh meat charging towards him. "The enemy seems to have run out of strategies. Now it's just a brawl."

Luffy's body stretched and it grew back to his usual height. "I'm back to normal!" he said laughing.

"Well, see you later, Straw Hat." Kidd said. "It was a pleasure meeting you in person. But I won't show you any mercy the next time we meet!"

Killer wondered what a fight between Kidd and Luffy would be like. He imagined destruction without a doubt. He considered the thought. Kidd had an advantage in using sharp metal weapons, which could leave considerable damage on Luffy. He'd never known Kidd to lose a battle when he got serious, but then again, Luffy had most likely been training since he'd last fought with him. He didn't know what Luffy was capable of now.

"But I'll be the one who finds One Piece!" Luffy declared confidently.

Both Kidd and Law snapped their attention on Luffy. Luffy laughed, oblivious to the sudden attention he was receiving from his rivals.

But Killer was no longer paying attention to the captains. He was running forwards blocking the heavy axe a marine had swung at Kidd. Before his mind could catch up to him, his spinning scythes had easily sliced through the marine.

Killer landed gracefully and turned to his captain. "Hey, Kidd! What are you just standing around for?"

"Hey, Killer." Kidd said, though obviously distracted by something. "On the route that we took to get here…Whenever we said we were gonna find One Piece, people just laughed at us…Although I killed anyone who dared to laugh…But after this…We're going to an ocean where anyone who doesn't have the guts to say it will die." Kidd grinned. "Let's meet again in the New World!" Kidd looked out at the marines coming closer and closer towards them. "Let's go, you guys!"

"Yeah!" The Kidd pirates shouted.

The zombie crewmen exhaled fire from his mouth, burning his victims alive. Killer silently sliced through the men pausing only to land and catch, his balance before going onto the next targets.

Killer let the bloodlust cloud his mind. The bloodlust stopped him from thinking. If he thought too much he'd end up doing something stupid. They didn't have time to make any mistakes, not now.

If he let himself think too much, he might be tempted to go after Luffy. To do that, he'd have to leave his crew when they needed more than anything in the world to escape.

His past and his present battled it out in his mind. On the outside he was a calm murderer, slicing down anyone who went against him.

In a moment when he was feeling a little more clear-minded he saw he'd been subconsciously moving with the crew of the Kidd pirates towards a bridge. He knew he'd chosen a side.

To Luffy, he had died years ago. While he'd been in the South Blue with Kidd, Luffy had grown up, today was proof of that.

"He doesn't need you anymore." A voice in the back of his mind whispered.

"He never needed me." Killer thought back. He remembered how Luffy had once called him his 'nicer' older brother. He wanted to laugh at the irony.

Once, Luffy had needed 'Sabo', but 'Sabo' was dead and in his place was someone new. A man who would murder without a second thought, who would follow his captain through the pits of Hell and who would never let anything stop him from his goal.

He was Killer.


End file.
